


Someplace To Come Home To

by priestessarcana



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon, Reunions, akira-centric, just warm and fuzzy stuff, they all fall asleep in a cuddle pile so there's that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 15:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11649252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/priestessarcana/pseuds/priestessarcana
Summary: After all is said and done, the Phantom Thieves still have each other.





	Someplace To Come Home To

 It had been _too damn long._ That much was for sure, Akira thought, as he awaited his friends – and former partners in crime – to walk through the door of Leblanc. Even the café itself gave him a rush of nostalgia, even without Sojiro’s presence, as he had closed the café to the public for the day, and left with only a small smile, a subtle nod, then he turned and closed the door. Things had never truly been the same between anyone, even after a year to recover. No one had escaped the effects of those fateful months. He shook those thoughts away for the moment; he can turn it over in his head later (not like he didn’t do that already). He waved pleasantly, leaning against the counter, Morgana – who had been fast asleep, his front paws dangling off the edge of the counter – raising his head to watch as the first two of the once-Phantom Thieves arrived within seconds of each other.

“Akira!” Ryuji yelled, racing to his friend’s side, throwing an arm around him. _Some things hadn’t changed_ , Akira thought amusedly. Ann, who was much calmer, but nonetheless overcome with emotion, moved to lean against the counter next to Akira. When she got closer, he could see the slight glassy reflection of tears in the blonde’s eyes. Not pressing the issue, Akira drew an arm around Ryuji, pulling him closer, resting his other hand on Ann’s. “Missed you guys,” he murmured, tearing up slightly himself; he hadn’t expected this overwhelming swell of his heart. It’d only been a year, and the group chat had stayed lively, especially in the final weeks before this reunion, but the glaring loss of such close companions had ached more than any of them had predicted. Ann moved closer, resting her head against Akira’s shoulder.

“Things just weren’t the same without you. Sure, it was peaceful,” Ann said softly, “but I missed all of you.” As far as Akira knew, none of their group stayed together, and had gone their separate ways, wherever it took them. He’d missed them more than anything; the aftershocks of everything they experienced certainly would have been easier to cope with together, after all. Texts and the occasional Skype call just weren’t enough, not after how close they’d all become. Realizing he had fallen silent again, lost in thought, Akira opened his mouth to speak, only to hear the jingle of the chimes above the door; he turned his head to see Makoto wander in.

“Hey.” Akira hoped he came off as nonchalant, as if the overwhelming emotions welling up within him weren’t about to spill over. _Oh,_ how he’d missed them all. After giving Morgana a quick scratch under the chin, Makoto took a seat at the booth near the counter, propping her face up with a hand as she leaned against the table, watching her friends silently. No one quite knew what to say, it seemed. Thankfully, Futaba arrived soon after, livening the reunion significantly. The rest of the group filtered in over the next few minutes.

No one had changed, Akira realized warmly as he watched his friends, his _family_ , mill about the café, talking amongst each other. Akira himself was making coffee for everyone – his time with Sojiro hadn’t gone to waste, it seemed; he remembered everything the man who had practically become his father had told him. Brewing coffee was more of an art than he’d thought before arriving in Tokyo, and it was one he was far from mastering, especially being as out of practice as he was. After he brought the mugs to the adjacent booths everyone had piled into, Akira once again joined the makeshift party – which couldn’t even be called a party, really; there was no music, and hardly any food. No one seemed to mind, content to make conversation, or just enjoy each other’s company silently. Akira, seated on the divider between the booths, simply regarded his companions. He couldn’t say who he’d missed the most; maybe Futaba, considering she was the closest thing to a sibling he’d ever had, but who was he to play favourites? The girl in question was perched on the seat of the booth, handheld gaming system in hand, jumping into the wandering conversations of the other former Phantom Thieves enthusiastically when it seemed fit; _she’d come_ _so far._ Akira reached down to ruffle her hair.

“Hey!” Futaba yelped, but leaned into the touch anyway; they stayed that way for some time. The conversations had lulled at that point - as Akira looked through Leblanc’s windows, the sun had gone down, although he was unsure for how long it had been since night had fallen. Glancing back to his friends, Akira’s neutral expression softened. Makoto, Haru and Ann had all fallen asleep on each other’s shoulders, and Yusuke was slumped forward onto the table, Ryuji leaning against him. Even Futaba seemed to be winding down, her gaming system turned off and placed in front of her. Morgana was long gone, presumably up to the attic to sleep.

He hopped off his seat, nudging Yusuke with a soft “Hey.” The other boy blearily lifted his head off his folded arms.

“If you’re that tired, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if you guys stay the night here,” he offered gently.

Ryuji, who hadn’t been fully asleep, it seemed, jerked upright, eyes wide in excitement. “For real?!” His shout had awoken the rest of the group. Ann grumbled, swatting Ryuji’s arm before she stood up, stretching, and leaned against the table. Haru’s eyes remained closed, although she buried her face against Makoto’s shoulder – Makoto herself was glaring at the blond.

“Well, anyway, come on upstairs,” Akira suggested after a moment, and the former Phantom Thieves all began to filter up the stairs. A suitcase lay open on the floor, but otherwise the room was exactly the same as it was – sentimental as he was, Sojiro must have left it untouched.

“So,” Makoto began, “where will we all sleep?”

“I’ll take the floor,” said Akira, already moving to take an extra blanket to cushion the hardwood floor before Makoto stopped him ( _Always the voice of reason, even after all this time_ ).

“That won’t be necessary, I’m sure,” she stated. “After all we’ve been through, proximity should be the least of our worries.”

“Then anyone who wants to share the bed is welcome to.”

It plenty of rearranging, but after pushing the sofa against the bed, everyone had found a comfortable spot. Yusuke laid closest to the wall, with Akira wedged between him and Ryuji, Morgana already fast asleep on Akira’s chest. Futaba curled up comfortably against the arm of the couch, while Ann and Makoto huddled together, half-sitting, half-laying, in the remaining space of the couch. Haru was content to sleep at the foot of the bed, her petite form barely taking up any space.

And it felt _right._ Akira had never felt safer, never felt so unconditionally loved, than he did at this moment, surrounded by his friends, the family he’d found.  

Maybe now, if only for a moment, he could finally let go, move on, and let the nearly-crushing weight on his shoulders finally lift _._


End file.
